Governor Babajide Sanwo – Olu yesterday commissioned the newly installed Waterways Monitoring and Data Management Centre ( WMDMC) at the Five Courie Terminal the headquarters of the Lagos State Waterways Authority in Falomo, Ikoyi. The Data Management Centre, which is the first of it’s kind in the country, is a centralised monitoring base for all the activities on the Lagos Waterways. By the technology LASWA is now empowered to generate real – time information, enhance safety and gathered data for continuous improvement of the inland waterways. The Governor also unveiled advanced DJ11 Aerial Drone for Surveillance and Blue Eye pro drone for under water search and rescue operations and also handed over units of automatic U – SAFE rescuing gadgets for emergency evacuation. Sanwo – Olu at event well attended by private operators Inaugurated LASWA search and rescue unit ( SAR ) which will be responsible for patrolling and enforcing the state waterways rules and regulations. The Governor said the development further demonstrated his administration commitment towards improving mobility through multimodal transportation system and create affordable transit options for residents. Sanwo – Olu that Traffic Management remained the key component of his Government economic development plan, stressing that waterways transport had enjoyed special attention in the last three years because of the need to link it with existing rail and road transport in Lagos. Our gathering is to further deepen our commitment to have a safe and secure ferry operations in our waterways. We commissioned a big Command and Control Centre specifically established to monitor and protect our waterways. We handed over two additional patrol boats and safety enhancements. The gadgets are acquired and installed to consolidate our efforts in making our Waterways safe for it’s users and making monitoring activities seamless. It also demonstrate our unparalleled commitment to providing a reliable alternative transport solution that will complement other modes. In addition to building another jetties. In coming weeks, we will be commissioning 8 newly build Jetties out of the 15 we are currently building . Sanwo – Olu said Lagos had not only be a responsible regulator in the waterways transportation sector, but also a leading player in ferry operations across established routes to raise interest of passengers and make the mode of transportation viable for investors. With over 20 units of high and medium capacity boats in it’s fleet, the Governor disclosed that Lagos State Ferry Service LAGFERRY transported over 1.1 million passengers since February 2020 when it commenced commercial operations with recording accident. Over the past three years, daily commuter ridership has increased to 43,000 passengers and over 1.4 million passengers yearly. There has also been a visible reduction in boat mishaps achieved through our massive intervention in safety equipments and donations of free life jackets across 15 Local Government areas accessible by water. Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederick Oladeinde said the installed technology was deployed with the objective to solve economic issues associated with mobility delays and improve reliability on water transportation. He encouraged Lagosians to use the waterways for improved mobility and decongestion of road traffic. LASWA General Manager Damilola Emmanuel said digitising the inland waterways operations through the setting up of the command centre would enable the regulatory agency to have intelligent vessel tracking and monitoring along operating routes. He said: “This is another milestone delivered through the adminstration’s THEMES agenda. The WMDMC has a multi sensor, multi layer surveillance with fully integrated fusion. It can detect and track any vessel of any size. It can identify boats automatically monitor vessel activities and send alerts on any illegal suspicious behaviour. Executive Assistant the Governor on Maritime Matters, Prince Yomi Sopitan, who is the brain behind the Data Management Centre said the innovation had raised surveillance capability of the State.
